


those summer nights | ballum

by lockedinmybody



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Pining, Sexual Tension, Summer, basically a massive thirstfest for callum, there's a village fete i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 05:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19783765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lockedinmybody/pseuds/lockedinmybody
Summary: He moves a hand over his stubble as he listens to someone at the table, and with his head turned, Callum can see the long swoop of his eyelashes, golden light touching the very ends.His insides warm up suddenly, and Callum knows it's not the two sips of beer he's had.He brings the glass to his mouth, cool liquid touching his lips as he drinks. When he puts the glass down again, Ben meets his eyes.There's a moment where it feels like he's calculating, deciding what tone to set, but then he smiles, eyes soft and glinting. Like a married couple checking on each other in a room full of people with a simple look.***it's a really hot day in walford, so the village decides to have a massive barbecue. ben and callum find each other amidst it all.





	those summer nights | ballum

It's hot. Proper hot, blazing sun and clammy air hot, for weeks on end now.  
Everyone was giving up on living their lives because it was quite literally too warm to function.  
Mick had stumbled through to the back, yelling something about how humans weren't meant to live in these conditions, and hours later found himself behind the grill outside of the Vic, nearly the entire square joining in for a barbecue.

He had squeezed Callum's shoulder when he passed him by, the invitation coming with a friendly smile. Callum supposed it would be alright.  
There wasn't much else to do anyway, and that was proving to be a problem. Because he couldn't get Ben out of his head.  
Constantly, his thoughts were with him. The contrast between his attention for Ben and his attention for Whitney had reached new heights, and as much as Callum feels guilty about it, he can't stop it.  
Every exchange between him and his fiancee confirms the evergrowing feeling that the love he feels for her is not the same kind of whatever's blooming in his chest for Ben Mitchell.  
Callum feels like a terrible person.

It's crowded, which is a good thing. He feels like he can disappear, present but not noticeable.  
Whitney sits with him for a bit at one of the benches, and Callum tries his best to keep up with the conversation. She leaves after a bit when Tiffany waves her over.  
Callum nurses his beer, tracing the drips of condensation on the outside of the glass as they slide down.  
"Not hungry?" Jay asks, taking the seat opposite him and throwing a glance down at the solitary beer. He gives him a friendly smile when Callum doesn't respond.  
When he takes a moment to look around, he notices he's the only one who was sitting completely alone.  
Jay probably feels sorry for him, has known for a while that something's off.  
"Nah, not really. Not with these temperatures," Callum says with a polite smile. Jay agrees around a mouthful of food and starts rambling about a tricky customer they had, and Callum shifts sideways in his seat, letting his eyes go over his surroundings.

Finding Ben doesn't take long.  
He's standing by one of the picnic benches that were placed, leaning against the table, beer in hand. Callum's eyes move from his shoes up to his face, appreciating the view of the not _not_ tight jeans and well-fitted black T-Shirt he soaks up on the way there.  
Ben laughs at something someone says, his head turning slightly, sunlight filtering through the strands of hair at the top of his head, and Callum feels his chest squeeze together and his stomach dip.  
It's almost comical, how every time he sees Ben, it hits him all over again. He's not used to finding blokes attractive, or maybe Ben's just the first one who's completely broken him down, but he has never looked at Ben without feeling attracted to him.  
He's hot. Fit. Sexy. 

And confident, too. In a way that draws Callum in. Ben takes a sip of his beer, head tilting back, and when he swallows Callum watches his adam's apple move up and down again.  
He moves a hand over his stubble as he listens to someone at the table, and with his head turned, Callum can see the long swoop of his eyelashes, golden light touching the very ends.  
His insides warm up suddenly, and Callum knows it's not the two sips of beer he's had.  
He brings the glass to his mouth, cool liquid touching his lips as he drinks. When he puts the glass down again, Ben meets his eyes.  
There's a moment where it feels like he's calculating, deciding what tone to set, but then he smiles, eyes soft and glinting. Like a married couple checking on each other in a room full of people with a simple look.  
Callum smiles back and looks away, unvoluntarily, but his tummy is doing that flipping and turning over thing again and he doesn't know how to handle himself.

"You alright?" Jay disrupts his daze when he reaches over and places a hand on Callum's arm, who makes a small startled noise.  
"What, yeah, I'm fine," Callum says, eyes on his pint again.  
"Has he said something to upset ya?" Jay asks after a moment. Callum looks up, eyes narrowing.  
"Who?"  
Jay half-heartedly rolls his eyes. "Ben."  
Callum shakes his head, maybe a little too quickly. "Nah mate, don't worry about it."  
"Look, I know he's my best friend and practically my brother, but that don't mean he doesn't mess up," Jay says, popping a chip in his mouth, "giving people grief is his specialty."  
Callum huffs a small laugh. Ben does bother him, often. The real problem is that Callum doesn't mind all that much.

"He hasn't done anything," Callum shrugs, "he's just, Ben." Jay laughs like they understand that in the same way, and Callum smiles along.  
Mick stops by not long after, dropping a plate of food in front of Callum. "You need to eat something son, too warm not to." Callum gives him a grateful smile and nods, occasionally eating something.  
Jay sticks around for a while, making conversation every now and then, and Callum appreciates it. He still feels disjointed though, from everyone else, like they're living a life he's not a part of and never will be. 

There's a shout from the front, something about fruity boozy cocktails, and as the sun slowly sets, the air gets more sultry, the bodies around the tables lax and happy.  
Callum's has pineapple and strawberries in it, and the alcohol is more sweet than it is strong, so he makes sure to go slow.  
Once he's sat alone at his table he shifts sideways, looking out over the square. The sunlight's nearly gone now, the only light being the streetlights plus some string ones that Tina got from the Prince Albert and wound around the tree branches.  
Someone's put on some music, and he hears Lola laugh as Jay twirls her around. Mick has an arm around Linda's waist, gently swaying them back and forth.

Whitney dances too, holding Tiff's hand as they take turns spinning, and when she catches Callum's eye she waves him over with a grin, but he shakes his head with a soft smile.  
She laughs loudly when Tiff dips her, kicking one leg out and up, giggling as she comes back up again. He follows her movements endearingly.  
He really does love her, admitting that does not require lying. She's funny, smart and kind. Truly wants the best for him, for them. And he wants her to be happy.  
The more he compares his feelings for Whitney to those he has for Ben, the more the sinking feeling grows that he might not be able to make her as happy as she deserves.

The sky has darkened almost fully now, the air thankfully cooler than it has been all day, and Callum welcomes the breeze against his face and body, suit jacket long forgotten and the top two buttons of his dress shirt undone, sleeves rolled up.  
Almost everyone is on their feet now, jumping around to some song that apparently requires a special dance, and then someone missteps and the sound of laughter momentarily drowns out the music.  
Callum finishes the remainders of his drink and slowly stands up, stretching out his limbs as he goes. He rolls his shoulders as he sidesteps the crowd.  
"Going for a walk," He shouts to Whitney as he passes by, and she waves.  
He walks along the Vic and then turns the corner, near the playground, and Ben is sat against the wall, on the ground.

For a moment he fears the worst. It's happened a few times now, where Callum bumps into an absolutely hammered Ben, bitterness and anger evident in the hardened line of his jaw and spewing words.  
But Ben lifts his head at the sound of footsteps, and his eyes are clear. There's a rosy flush in his cheeks, not unlike in Callum's own, and he looks just the right side of buzzed, like everyone else.  
He looks loose in a way that Callum hasn't often seen on him. It looks good.  
"Hey," Ben says with a soft smile, grabbing the beer bottle next to him and tracing the label with his thumb. Callum bends his knees and sinks down next to him, long legs stretched out and his back against the wall.  
"Hey," Callum echoes. They both look ahead. "Party get a bit too much for ya?" Ben asks.  
Callum shrugs. "Fancied a walk." Ben hums.

Callum takes a deep breath of night air, crossing one leg over the other.  
They stay silent for a few minutes, nothing to hear except the distant resonance of the party, music and laughter blended together.  
He is about to say something when Ben beats him to it.  
"Have you eaten something?"  
Callum turns his head to look at Ben. "Yeah, why?"  
Ben shakes his head. "No okay, good." Callum raises his eyebrows at him so Ben gives in.  
"You just sat there looking all wistful with nothin' but a pint. You've gotta eat." 

Callum turns his head again, gazing straight ahead. "You saw me?"  
Ben leans over and bumps his shoulder against Callum's. "'Course I saw ya."  
He doesn't really lean back that much, just kind of stays there. Callum shuffles over slightly, the sides of their bodies now perfectly aligned.  
"Always do." Ben murmurs, in that soft and vulnerable tone where he can tell he _means_ it, and Callum flexes his fingers in his lap before boldly moving his arm over and putting his hand on Ben's thigh, the initial touch light and careful.  
Ben chuckles lightly, and then he turns his body slightly, head leaning over until his lips reach Callum's ear.  
"Where's that going, Halfway?"

Ben's mouth presses a kiss right under his jaw, and Callum's grip on his leg tightens. Ben brings a hand up to his face, index finger under Callum's chin and he turns his head and brings him close in one move, lips hovering near his.  
He grins a little as he sees Callum's eyes on his mouth, letting his own flick between Callum's mouth and eyes too.  
Callum can feel his heart thump as Ben gently kisses the corner of his mouth, warm and light, and his eyelids flutter closed for a moment.  
Ben's thumb touches his lower lip, and he opens his eyes again. Ben's gaze is outright lustful, Callum's mouth opening slightly as his thumb drags his lip down.  
He leans in, slides his tongue into Callum's open mouth and kisses him, and Callum's insides are on fire. 

The heat that Ben brings is one Callum welcomes, despite the temperatures of the weather lately.  
It becomes harder and harder to fight something that makes him feel _so fucking good_. Because it does. It feels right, not wrong.  
The way Ben's nose nudges against his when he turns his head. The warm wet slide of Ben's tongue against his own doesn't turn him off but makes the blood in his veins become electric.  
He curls his hand to the inside of Ben's thigh and he groans against Callum's mouth at the feeling of it, twisting his body closer.  
"You taste like fruit," Ben breathes against Callum's mouth, pressing slow kisses as he regains his breath, chest rapidly rising and falling.  
The corner of Callum's mouth lifts. "So do you," He says back, eyes closing as he enjoys the feeling of Ben pressing kisses to his lips.  
"And of beer," He mumbles. Ben is biting at the flesh of his neck now, and Callum's too turned on to stop him, instead moves his hand on Ben's thigh higher up, and Ben's hand squeezes on the side of his neck.

"I don't really wanna run the chance of getting nicked for public indecency, do you?" Ben says lowly, "wouldn't be the first time."  
Callum sighs, retrieving his hand as Ben pulls back a little. He looks at Callum for a moment, a slow smile making its way onto his face.  
"What?" Callum asks, and Ben's smile sweetens.  
"Nothin'," He hesitates for a moment but then leans in and kisses Callum's cheek chastely, fondness clear in his eyes when he looks at him again.  
"You look annoyed that I don't wanna take you right here and now," Ben grins teasingly, and Callum feels his cheeks redden.  
He does feel a bit pouty, and it is a little embarrassing. He doesn't remember giving Ben Mitchell this much power over him.

And so they sit again, side by side, both of them looking ahead. The dance party on the square has now turned into karaoke by the sounds of it.  
The dark of the night has fully settled, the warmth of the street lights covering them in golden yellow.  
Ben takes Callum's hand and holds it in his own, folding his fingers through the gaps between Callum's, and places their joined hands down on their laps.  
"Don't worry, our time will come," Ben says, and it's jokingly light, but Callum locks it in his heart and furiously hopes that it will.

**Author's Note:**

> fdkslfjdls not entirely sure where this came from but at the very least fueled by the lack of content rip and callum pining over ben is something that needs to exist.  
> thanks for reading. please let me know what you thought! :)  
> you can also find me on [tumblr](https://softlofty.tumblr.com/) :)


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